The third winter storm of January coated our area with snow and wintry mix Sunday, staring in the early daylight hours turning the land into a sea of whiteness before it blow out of the area later in the day and evening.
Appalachian Power Company (APCo) reported about 10 outages in the northwest area of Floyd County near the Montgomery County line at 1 p.m. Sunday but says they have more than 200 repair crews on standby if the outages grow.
The Virginia Department of Transportation urges motorists to stay home and off the highways today and, if possible, on the Monday holiday of Martin Luther King’s birthday, when schools, banks, government offices, and other locations were already closed for the day.
The snow is expected to drop 4-7 inches on our area before adding sleet to the top of the mix, the National Weather Service Office in Blacksburg reports.
Says NWS:
Winter Storm Warning until MON 7:00 AM EST
Action Recommended
Make preparations per the instructions
Issued By
Roanoke/Blacksburg – VA, US, National Weather Service
Affected Area
Portions of south central, southwest and west central Virginia, north central and northwest North Carolina and southeast West Virginia
Description
…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST MONDAY… WHAT…Heavy mixed precipitation. Additional snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. WHERE…Portions of south central, southwest and west central Virginia, north central and northwest North Carolina and southeast West Virginia. WHEN…Until 7 AM EST Monday. IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. The cold wind chills as low as zero could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken. ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The heavy snow and gusty winds, especially this afternoon through Monday, may down tree limbs and cause power outages. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Please report snow, sleet or ice accumulations via email at rnk.skywarn@noaa.gov or by calling the National Weather Service toll free at…1…866…2 1 5…4 3 2 4. Leave a message with your observation and the specific location where it occurred. You can also post your report to National Weather Service Blacksburg Facebook page and on Twitter. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.